Qualcomm’s hesitation in naming its flagship processors is further complicated by a new leak. After naming its top-tier chip the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 earlier this year, the company may change that rule again next year.

New Flagship: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro

According to reliable Weibo source Digital Chat Station (DCS), next year’s flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, will be released in two versions: standard and pro. This new naming strategy means that the true successor to the current 8 Elite Gen 5 will technically be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. The standard version, without the “Pro” designation, will likely be positioned as a slightly toned-down version of the same core specifications.

Given Qualcomm’s naming history, this confusion is unfortunately familiar:

The series, which began with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in 2022, was rebranded as the Snapdragon 8 Elite in 2024, and was updated to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in 2025.

In addition to all this, Qualcomm plans to release a separate chip called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for the “sub-flagship” segment later this year. The addition of “Pro” to the flagship series is likely to further confuse the naming hierarchy for consumers.

Regarding the specifications of the upcoming chips, both models will reportedly be manufactured using TSMC’s N2P manufacturing process and feature Qualcomm’s third-generation custom CPU architecture. The core configuration is expected to be a 2+3+3.

According to the leak, the main differences between the two versions will be:

• GPU: The two versions are expected to differ, particularly in terms of graphics processing (GPU) capabilities. The Pro model is expected to offer higher graphics performance.
• Memory Support: Only the Pro variant is expected to support the newer and faster LPDDR6 memory technology.
• A separate report suggests that the new manufacturing process and faster memory could increase production costs, which could lead to further price increases for flagship phones by 2027.